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Woden
}} Woden is a male deity of the Anglo-Saxon pantheon. He is believed to be an aspect of the Norse deity Odin. Description Appearance Woden appears as a tall, rugged man with black hair. He is missing his right eye. He wears threadbare, weathered clothing of leather and coarse fabric, including a tattered cloak and a tall, black, wide-brimmed conical hat. His clothing is decorated with black feathers of crows and ravens. Woden carries a gnarled quarterstaff engraved with twenty-four runes. He occasionally assumes the guise of a one-eyed crow or raven. Personality Woden is True Neutral in alignment. He cares primarily about his own schemes and the acquisition of knowledge. Titles Woden is called the Master of Magic. His knowledge of the runes is unsurpassed. Abilities Woden's mastery of the runes surpasses any mortal spellcaster. He knows how to cast every wizard spell, even those newly created. It was Woden who gave the secrets of rune magic to mortal men. He can shapeshift into the form of a crow or raven. Portfolio Woden is a god of magic and knowledge. He is also guardian of the dead. Worship Dogma The followers of Woden teach that knowledge is of utmost importance, and worth any sacrifice. The acquisition of knowledge is the primary activity of his clergy. They believe that magic is a sacred art, and that wanton misuse of magic is an insult to Woden. The runic alphabet itself is sacred to Woden. Worshipers People of all alignment follow Woden. Wizards in particular follow him. Followers among the Britons and Celts sometimes worship Woden, conflating him with their traditional deity Cernunnos, leader of the Wild Hunt. Clergy The clergy of Woden are typically secretive hermits. Unlike the priests of Odin, who often serve as royal advisors or community leaders, Woden's clergy rarely offer advice without being asked, and even then not for free. His clergy typically wear robes when at home, or more practical clothing when adventuring, in either case decorated with crow or raven feathers. Some wear a conical black hat in emulation of Wotan, especially when travelling abroad. The most dedicated of his priests claim the ability to transform into a raven or crow. Many are missing the use of their right eye, yet gain supernatural senses or even true sight in exchange. His priesthood are expected to be literate and ardent students of the art of spellcraft. They study the craft of rune magic, said to have been given to the humans by Woden himself long ago. The most learned of his priests enscribe runes upon their staff. Clergy of all alignments serve Woden, although his most dedicated priests are neutral and non-lawful (i.e. Neutral Good, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral, or True Neutral). Rituals The followers of Woden engage in celebrations of prayer on nights of the full moon, which are sacred to Woden. Winter nights are especially sacred. As guardian of the dead, prayers are said to Woden during burial rituals, asking him to keep the soul safe on its journey. Holy symbol Woden is represented by the crow and raven. A blank rune stone is also said to represent Woden. Favored weapon Priests of Woden tend to carrya staff in emulation of their deity. They also tend to carry the short sword and dagger. Relationships Woden is neutral in all things, and is concerned primarily with his own schemes. However, these often put him at odds with Mannus. Artifacts Woden's staff is a magically enhanced rune staff engraved with a twisting pattern of 24 runes. Each represents an arcane spell which Woden can call upon at will. Realm Woden constantly wanders the Earth in search of knowledge and lore. History Little is known of Woden's history. His missing right eye is said to have been pecked out by a large bird, and still bears scars. Publication history AD&D 2nd edition Woden and the Anglo-Saxon Pantheon are primarily detailed in the article . Woden is mentioned in the story , where his name is used as an epithet. Woden and the Saxon pantheon are named in the , where Woden is directly equated with Odin. D&D 4th edition A kindly old man named Woden appears as a plot hook in the adventure module . Creative origins Woden is the Old English name of the Germanic deity better known in Norse mythology, Odin. The weekday Wednesday is named for Woden. Relatively little information survives about the worship of Woden by the Anglo-Saxons, who brought the religion to what is now England from the European mainland around 450 AD. Christianity soon replaced the Anglo-Saxon religion around 600 AD, with the result that very little from that time period survives to the modern day. Considerably more is available of the equivalent Norse myth, as Iceland was not formally Christianized until 1000 AD, and some of its poetic tradition was preserved as an art form. The system of runic magic based on the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark described in Dragon #263, including the blank rune said to represent Wotan, is based on neopagan reconstructions made in the late 20th century. References Category:Anglo-Saxon deities Category:Wizards Category:Rogues